Portal:England

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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It shares a land border with Scotland to the north and another land border with Wales to the west, and is otherwise surrounded by the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, the Celtic Sea to the south-west, and the Irish Sea to the west. Continental Europe lies to the south-east, and Ireland to the west. At the 2021 census, the population was 56,490,048. London is both the largest city and the capital.

The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic. It takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had extensive cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century. The Kingdom of England, which included Wales after 1535, ceased to be a separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union brought into effect a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland that created the Kingdom of Great Britain.

England is the origin of the English language, the English legal system (which served as the basis for the common law systems of many other countries), association football, and the Anglican branch of Christianity; its parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England is home to the two oldest universities in the English-speaking world: the University of Oxford, founded in 1096, and the University of Cambridge, founded in 1209. Both universities are ranked amongst the most prestigious in the world.

England's terrain chiefly consists of low hills and plains, especially in the centre and south. Upland and mountainous terrain is mostly found in the north and west, including Dartmoor, the Lake District, the Pennines, and the Shropshire Hills. The London metropolitan area has a population of 14.2 million as of 2021, representing the United Kingdom's largest metropolitan area. England's population of 56.3 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated around London, the South East, and conurbations in the Midlands, the North West, the North East, and Yorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century. (Full article...)

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Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (UK: /ˈwʊlstənkrɑːft/ WUUL-stən-krahft, US: /-kræft/ -⁠kraft; née Godwin; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin and her mother was the philosopher and women's rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary's mother died 11 days after giving birth to her. She was raised by her father, who provided her with a rich informal education, encouraging her to adhere to his own anarchist political theories. When she was four, her father married a neighbour, Mary Jane Clairmont, with whom Mary had a troubled relationship. (Full article...)

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Heathrow Airport (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL), also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named London Airport until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others being Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City and Southend).

The airport is owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings. In 2024, Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe, the fifth-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic and the second-busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic. Heathrow was the airport with the most international connections in the world in 2024. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various England-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Gold torc from Snettisham, 70 BC (from History of England)
Image 2Artefacts from Bush Barrow at Stonehenge. Wessex culture, Early Bronze Age, c. 1900 BC (from History of England)
Image 3View of the ramparts of the hillfort of Maiden Castle (450 BC), as they look today (from History of England)
Image 4First English Civil War at the Battle of Marston Moor, 1644 (from History of England)
Image 5First played in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. (from Culture of England)
Image 6Anglo-Saxon king with his Witan. Biblical scene in the Old English Hexateuch (11th century) (from History of England)
Image 7The Procession Picture, c. 1600, showing Elizabeth I borne along by her courtiers (from History of England)
Image 8Sir Francis Drake's voyage 1585–86 (from History of England)
Image 9Victory in Europe Day celebrations in London, 8 May 1945 (from History of England)
Image 10The English landscape garden at Stourhead, described as a 'living work of art' when first opened in the 1750s (from Culture of England)
Image 11Sir Isaac Newton is regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 12One of only four surviving exemplifications of the 1215 text, Cotton MS. Augustus II. 106, property of the British Library (from History of England)
Image 13Depiction of the Battle of Hastings (1066) on the Bayeux Tapestry (from History of England)
Image 14Josiah Wedgwood was a leading entrepreneur in the Industrial Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 15Christopher Lee (seen here as Dracula in 1958) starred in many of Hammer's British horror films. (from Culture of England)
Image 16The Royal College of Music is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, established by royal charter in 1882. (from Culture of England)
Image 17Chester, c. 1880 (from History of England)
Image 18Canterbury Cathedral nave, 1377 (from History of England)
Image 19Durham Cathedral. The Norman cathedral was built 1093–1133 (from History of England)
Image 20Flatford Mill ('Scene on a Navigable River') by John Constable, c. 1816 (from Culture of England)
Image 21The Battersea Shield (detail), 350 BC. (from History of England)
Image 22A pint of real ale (from Culture of England)
Image 23King Charles II, a patron of the arts and sciences, supported the Royal Society, a scientific group whose early members included Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton. (from Culture of England)
Image 24Elizabeth I (from History of England)
Image 25Procession of characters from Shakespeare's plays (from Culture of England)
Image 26The epic poem Beowulf, set in 6th century Scandinavia, composed c. 700–1000 AD. (from History of England)
Image 27Morris dancing (from Culture of England)
Image 28Shoulder clasp from Sutton Hoo, 625 AD (from History of England)
Image 29The first general laws against child labour, the Factory Acts, were passed in Britain in the first half of the 19th century. Children younger than nine were not allowed to work and the work day of youth under the age of 18 was limited to twelve hours. (from History of England)
Image 30Durham Cathedral, dating from 1093 (from Culture of England)
Image 31England in 878 (from History of England)
Image 32Tomb of Richard I of England and Isabella of Angoulême (from History of England)
Image 33Whitehall by Francis Dodd (1920) displaying the Palace of Westminster (from Culture of England)
Image 34Portrait of the Royal Tudors. At left, Henry VII, with Prince Arthur behind him, then Prince Henry (later Henry VIII), and Prince Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Princess Margaret, then Princess Elizabeth who didn't survive childhood, Princess Mary, and Princess Katherine, who died shortly after her birth. (from History of England)
Image 35The Spanish Armada and English ships in August 1588, (unknown, 16th-century, English School) (from History of England)
Image 36King Alfred the Great statue in Winchester, Hampshire. The 9th-century English king encouraged education in his kingdom. (from Culture of England)
Image 37Bronze coins of Cunobelin, called "King of the Britons" by Suetonius. 1–42 AD. (from History of England)
Image 38William Hogarth's depiction of a scene from Shakespeare's The Tempest is an example of how English literature influenced English painting in the 18th century. (from Culture of England)
Image 39Remains of the Roman baths at Bath, England. (from History of England)
Image 40The Fairy Ring by William Holmes Sullivan, c.1908 (from Culture of England)
Image 41King James I of England (from History of England)
Image 42Anglo-Saxon helmet from the Sutton Hoo ship burial, 625 AD (replica) (from History of England)
Image 43King Charles II (from History of England)
Image 44The Billingsgate Fish Market in London in the early 19th century (from History of England)
Image 45The Lady Chapel of Wells Cathedral (from Culture of England)
Image 46Frontispiece of Bede's Life of St Cuthbert, showing King Æthelstan presenting a copy of the book to the saint himself. c. 930 (from History of England)
Image 47Dover Castle, 12th–13th century (from History of England)
Image 48Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Primate of All England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior bishop of the Church of England. (It was the property of the Roman Catholic Church before the English Reformation.) (from Culture of England)
Image 49The Mob Quad of Merton College, University of Oxford, 13th–14th century (from History of England)
Image 50King's College in Cambridge is regarded as one of the greatest examples of late English Gothic architecture. It has the world's largest fan vault, while the chapel's stained-glass windows and wooden chancel screen are considered some of the finest from their era. (from Culture of England)
Image 51Silbury Hill, c. 2400 BC (from History of England)
Image 52Kingdoms and tribes in Britain, c. AD 600 (from History of England)
Image 53Jack In the Green, a traditional English folk custom being celebrated in Hastings Old Town, known for its many pre-Victorian buildings. (from Culture of England)
Image 54Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels, c. 720 AD (from History of England)
Image 55A traditional Punch and Judy booth, at Swanage, Dorset, England (from Culture of England)
Image 56Geoffrey Chaucer, c. 1340s–1400, author of The Canterbury Tales (from History of England)
Image 57The Ruthwell Cross, 8th century AD (from History of England)
Image 58Interior of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford (from Culture of England)
Image 59Alfred Hitchcock is often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, and was described as "a straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius." (from Culture of England)
Image 60Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol played a major role in reviving the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal goodwill. (from Culture of England)
Image 61The Lindisfarne Gospels (from Culture of England)
Image 62The Great Fire London, 1666. (from History of England)
Image 63The wizard Merlin features as a character in many works of fiction, including the BBC series Merlin. (from Culture of England)
Image 64Stonehenge, erected in several stages from c.3000–2500 BC (from History of England)
Image 65The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork yet found^[update]. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments. (from Culture of England)
Image 66The White Tower of the Tower of London, built in 1078 (from History of England)
Image 67England playing Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground in the 2009 Ashes series. After winning the 2019 Cricket World Cup, England became the first country to win the World Cups in football, rugby union and cricket. (from Culture of England)
Image 68Remains of Hadrian's Wall (from History of England)
Image 69Francis Bacon led the advancement of both natural philosophy and the scientific method and his works remained deeply influential in the Scientific Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 70Countries where English is natively spoken or has official status (from Culture of England)
Image 71Stinking Bishop cheese (from Culture of England)
Image 72Maps of territory held by Royalists (red) and Parliamentarians (green) during the English Civil War (1642–1645) (from History of England)
Image 73Portrait of Edward VI, c. 1550 (from History of England)
Image 74National performing arts are held annually at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as The Proms during the summer. (from Culture of England)
Image 75King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 (from History of England)
Image 76Edward Elgar is one of England's most celebrated classical composers. (from Culture of England)
Image 77The Roman Baths in Bath; a temple was constructed on the site between 60–70CE in the first few decades of Roman Britain. (from Culture of England)
Image 78The Alfred Jewel, late 9th century (from History of England)
Image 79King Henry VIII (from History of England)

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Grant in 2014

Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received several accolades including a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. He received an Honorary César in 2006. In 2022, Time Out magazine listed Grant as one of Britain's 50 greatest actors of all time. As of 2025^[update], his films have grossed over US$4 billion worldwide.

Grant made his feature film acting debut in Privileged (1982), followed by the romantic drama Maurice (1987) for which he gained acclaim as well as the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. He then acted in a string of successful period dramas such as The Remains of the Day (1993), Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Restoration (1995). Grant emerged as a star with Richard Curtis's romantic comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), for which he won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He starred in further romantic comedies such as Notting Hill (1999), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and its 2004 and 2025 sequels, About a Boy (2002), Two Weeks Notice (2002), Love Actually (2003) and Music and Lyrics (2007). (Full article...)

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Did you know?

The tower of St. Paul's Church, in Brighton

...that the Rev. Arthur Wagner, the first curate of the Church of St. Paul, Brighton, England, commissioned stained glass windows of his mother, father and aunt for the church?
...that Scots' Dike was constructed by the English and the Scots in 1552 to mark the division of the Debatable Lands and thereby settle the exact boundary between the kingdoms of Scotland and England?
...that the famed message "England expects that every man will do his duty" is misquoted on Nelson's Column in London?

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In the news

27 July 2025 – UEFA Women's Euro 2025: In association football, England defeats Spain 3–1 on penalties in the UEFA Women's Euro final to win their second major football championship and successfully defending their title. Spain's Aitana Bonmatí is named the tournament's best player. (Reuters)
19 July 2025 –: In boxing, Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk defeats British challenger Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London, England, via a fifth-round knockout to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. (BBC Sport)
17 July 2025 –: A child is killed and 21 people are injured when a coach bus crashes in Somerset, England. (BBC News)
13 July 2025 – Zeusch Aviation Flight 1: A Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft crashes and catches fire shortly after taking off from London Southend Airport in Southend-on-Sea, England, killing all four people onboard. (NOS) (The Independent)

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“

I have seen much to hate here, much to forgive. But in a world where England is finished and dead, I do not wish to live.

”

— Alice Duer Miller

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Related WikiProjects

England • Bedfordshire • Brighton • Cheshire • Cornwall • Derbyshire • Dorset • Greater Manchester • Hampshire • Lincolnshire • London • Merseyside • Northamptonshire • North East England • Sheffield • Surrey. Warwickshire • West Midlands • Worcestershire • Yorkshire

Topics

Cities and major towns: Blackpool • Birmingham • Bristol • Chelmsford • Leeds • Liverpool • London • Manchester • Newcastle • Nottingham • Oxford • Portsmouth • Sheffield • Southampton • Stoke-on-Trent

Culture: The Football Association • Rugby Football Union • England and Wales Cricket Board • English inventions and discoveries

Geography: Geology • Climate • Mountains and hills • Islands • Rivers

Economy: Bank of England • London Stock Exchange • Chancellor of the Exchequer • Monetary Policy Committee • HM Treasury

History: Timeline of English history • Prehistoric Britain • Roman Britain • Anglo-Saxon England • Norman England • Plantagenet England • House of Lancaster • House of York • House of Tudor • House of Stuart

Governance: Kingdom of England • Prime Minister of the United Kingdom • Parliament of the United Kingdom • Home Secretary • Local Government Boundary Commission for England • Administrative divisions of England • English law

Symbols: Flags • Flag of England • St George's Cross • Tudor rose • Coat of arms of England

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